


Far Away

by harrystylescat77



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Harry is in the marines, Hurt/Comfort, Louis misses harry, M/M, Marines, Marriage Proposal, Ps. He comes home early, slight eating disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-21 05:10:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrystylescat77/pseuds/harrystylescat77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is in the Marines, and Louis is at home by himself. How long will war keep them apart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Far Away

Harry was far away.

He was in the Marines and Louis never knew if he was alive still or not, nothing was guaranteed. He'd left four months ago and wasn't to be home for one more.

Louis flopped onto his bed he shared with Harry when he was home and grabbed his laptop, flipping it open to the video chat application. Harry had e-mailed earlier that day in his free time that he would have the day off after they ran through some drills and ate lunch.

He was excited because Harry rarely got a day off and when he did, it was usually spent sleeping. He grinned as soon as he saw the greed light above Harry's name at the top of the screen, signaling that he was on.

Louis sat in a cross legged position, wearing, of course, one of Harry's oversized jumpers and a pair of his black track pants that would drag on the ground when he walked and rode low on his thin hips.

He angled the screen up so he could see Harry's face as it popped onto it.

“Hey, babe,” he said to Louis, smiling brightly in front of a background of a light blue colored wall behind him.

“Hi, Harry, I miss you so much!” Louis gushed at him. He couldn't help himself, seeing his gorgeous boyfriend of six years right in front of him, but not being able to even tuck a curl behind his ear.

Louis rarely got to see him like this, usually it was twice a month e-mails and the occasional video chat. Harry couldn't text him because there was simply no phone reception where he was.

Louis sniffed, on the brink of breaking down, and swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I know, Lou, and I miss you. I love you, you know.” Harry was sitting with his head in his hands, laying on his stomach, and presumably on a bed. Louis shivered, and wrapped the jumper tighter around his frame.

“You doing okay?” he smiled at Harry, blown away- as always- at the sheer beauty of him. Harry nodded and frowned a tad, cocking his head to the side.

“What about you, babe? You look so skinny, are you still eating?” he asked Louis, obviously noticing the way is collar bone was clearly visible from the top of the loose jumper and how his cheek bones stuck out more than Harry remembered.

Louis brushed that off and nodded. “Yeah, Haz, of course.” But Harry knew Louis wasn't telling the truth because he knew him better than Louis knew himself and the thing was, Louis really hadn't been eating much. Or doing a lot of things anymore, really, but he didn't want Harry to worry.

Louis looked at Harry's green eyes through the computer screen, the poor quality of the old thing pasting a yellow shade over the whole screen.

“I've been cleaning up the house. It'll be all pretty when you come home,” Louis said quietly, forcing a tight smile and fiddling with his fingers in his lap, wishing he was holding Harry's hand. Talking to Harry was almost harder than not talking to him.

“Aw Lou you know you don't have to do that. It wasn't even that messy when I left. Why don't you go find a job tomorrow or something. One that you like, or just something to do to keep you from getting too bored. And then before you know it, babe, I'll be home.” Harry was smiling just at the thought of himself coming home to Louis and snuggling and spoiling him like he did before he got into the Marines.

Louis shrugged, not wanting to tell Harry his ridiculous, almost nocturnal sleeping schedule that kept him from getting a job. “I guess I could try,” he lied. Louis didn't really want to do anything until Harry got back. His life was basically on pause, waiting for his lover to press play again.

“Okay Lou. Well, you know when I'll be home, right? A month from today, exactly.” Harry said, and Louis nodded because yes, of course he knew that, he was counting down the days left until he could hold Harry in his arms. “I'm sorry, Louis. I'll be home soon, safe. You look exhausted, Boo, I'm probably keeping you up late. Why don't you get some sleep?”

Louis brought his small hand up and wiped the gray sleeve of the jumper over his right eye, clearing away the tears that were beginning to form there. He nodded once and Harry blew him a kiss.

“I love you,” he told Louis and Louis responded with a quiet, “love you too”, almost pouting that his boyfriend couldn't come home earlier. Harry winked, and closed the lid to his laptop, making the window in Louis' screen go black.

Louis stared out his window, the black sky above the city he and Harry lived in was littered with bright stars. He wanted nothing more than for Harry to be safe and home, and maybe snuggled up with him in bed, holding an oversized cup of tea to share.

One more month, he told himself. One more month.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Louis woke up around 6 pm the next morning, he went straight into the shower from his bedroom. He usually slept that long, having been tired all the time from staying up into the early hours of the morning and from the fact that he hadn't eaten hardly anything in the past three days.

When he strolled out of the steaming bathroom, towel wrapped tightly around his waist, he ran a dainty hand through his feathery hair, attempting to put it in place.

He felt physically sick to his stomach, and it wasn't even that he was trying to not eat, but he literally couldn't without Harry there. Lately, minutes seemed like hours, hours seemed like days, and of course, days seemed like weeks, mainly because he would wake up around 5 or 6 pm in the afternoon everyday.

He threw on one of Harry's oversized jumpers, something he seemed to be wearing everyday now, grabbing one from the messy drawers inside the room they shared. He tossed the wet towel in the hamper in the corner of the room, putting it off for later.

He pulled on a pair of black baggy boxers underneath the large hoodie and decided it was good enough. It's not like he ever left the house, anyway.

He walked right past the mirror, not not wanting to see the incredibly dark circles under his now gray eyes, or the way the fluffy jumper practically hung off of him, loose around the neck and everywhere else, really, and it wasn't just because Harry was a big person.

Louis wasn't planning on doing anything special today, he'd probably just mosey around the house until it got dark, then he'd climb into bed with his phone, in case they called to tell him the worst news possible- Harry had passed away while on duty, and lay there until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

But for now, he walked slow down the hallway and into the kitchen to get a glass of water. It seemed like he was always thirsty, but still, never really hungry.

He must have been really tired or something because there was no way Harry was home this early. Yet there was still a familiar curly haired boy in a dark blue Marine's uniform standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking ridiculously smitten as always.

Louis felt his face crumple up and tears cloud his vision. He couldn't move, his feet were glued to the floor, and Harry seemed to catch on to that so he walked over to him, and wrapped his arms around Louis, holding his white hat, that had previously been on his head, in his left hand.

Louis let out a choked sob and buried his face in the rough wool covering Harry's shoulder, breathing in erratically and flinging his arms around him, squeezing tighter with strength that surprised even himself.

His face rubbed up against the many rough buttons and ribbons and pins there but he didn't care. He hugged him tighter because he didn't really know whether to believe his own eyes that Harry really was home early.

Harry lifted him off the ground slightly, taking in his small body easily and noting how light he felt. “'M home, Lou, I'm home early, babe,” Harry said into Louis' ear, muffled by his hair that was a lot longer than it was when he'd left.

Louis didn't think he could manage words at the moment, so he just held onto Harry tighter, taking in the musky scent of the uniform. Harry was shushing him and rubbing his back, trying to get his breathing under control and his tears to stop.

“It's alright, love, I'm home now, ok?” He rocked Louis back and forth, whispering things that didn't make sense into his ear.

When Louis' tears finally seemed to come to a stop and his breathing had begun to take to a normal pace, Harry set him down and took a small step back to look at his boyfriend, setting his hat on the counter top beside him.

He loved him so much, even in this state. The way his hair, wet from his shower still, fell almost to his shoulders from not being cut in months, the way his own jumper looked absurdly big on him, and the way his tear stained face was discolored with the dark under his eyes and the flush of his cheeks and his puffy lips. He still loved him.

And the puffy lips that he couldn't wait to kiss, having waited for months. He bridged the gap that laid between them and swiped his tongue across Louis' bottom lip. His arms instinctively went around him and pulled him closer, pressing him hard to his own body. He wanted to kiss away all the nights Louis had spent, lonely and bored in this too big of a house, he could make it all better.

He wanted to be gentle because Louis was just so delicate in this state, not seeing Harry for what seemed like years. He felt like Louis could break, and that was the absolute last thing he wanted to happen, so he softened his movements and moved to place open-mouthed kissing around Louis' jaw and neck.

“Harry,” Louis laughed, for the first time since he left, probably, and smiled, pulling away from Harry but still appreciating his enthusiasm. “'M so glad you're home. And early, too, I wasn't expecting this at all! Did you know you were coming home when we chatted last night?” Louis asked once Harry had reluctantly pulled himself away and looked at him in the eyes.

Harry glanced down, a smirk not leaving his face. “I may have known in advance,” he said quietly, being as cheeky as Louis remembered.

Louis' jaw dropped open dramatically and he raised his eyebrows. “So you were lying to me when you said you'd be home in a month, when really, you knew you'd be here the next day?” he half joked. He was honestly a bit mad, but he could never stay mad at Harry when all he was doing was looking down at him with those big green eyes and constantly teasing him with his cherry-red lips.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, babe.” Harry moved his hands down to Louis' waist resting them comfortably in his hips.

“Sure hell it was,” Louis mumbled. He smiled, this time, for real, and looked up at his boyfriend, still not fully believing that he was actually there. “I love you, Harry, and I missed you so much,” Louis' voice cracked from the crying that he'd been doing and his pulled Harry closer, leaning his forehead against Harry's.

Pecking his lips once, Harry smiled down at him, thinking that even with how ruined and completely ravished Louis looked, he was still impossibly stunning. “I know, babe, and I love you, too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Harry rolled over and pressed his chest to Louis' back, pulling the duvet closer around them both. He was so glad to finally sleep in his own bed with his boyfriend, but he was also getting more impatient by the second and he didn't think he could wait a lot longer.

He'd been planning these past few weeks for this and it really came down to tomorrow, yet tomorrow seemed like weeks away.

He glanced at the clock, 3:55 am, and sighed, contemplating what he should do. He wasn't the least bit tired and hadn't even fallen asleep the whole night. Louis had, on the other hand, fallen right to sleep after Harry crawled in next to him, freshly showered and smelling of cinnamon.

He tucked his chin above Louis' right shoulder and started running his fingers over Louis' warm hands. “Lou,” he whispered, nuzzling his nose into Louis' hair. He tightened his grip on him, hoping it might wake him up a bit.

When he got no response, he bit his lip and started playing with Louis' fingers, and he soon felt them tighten around his large thumb. Louis grunted, and Harry felt him sigh, so he shook his shoulder slightly and pulled his wandering hand up to brush some loose, soft hair out of Louis' eyes.

“Louis, I want to tell you something,” Harry started. Louis rolled over onto his back, effectively pushing Harry over. Harry propped himself up on his left arm, laying on his side and looking down at Louis, who was now looking up at him with curiosity in his blue eyes.

“What is it Haz?” Moonlight streamed into their room just enough for them to see each others faces. Harry smiled down at Louis.

“I love you,” Harry said, lowering himself over Louis so he could kiss him.

“Is that all you had to tell me?” Louis chuckled, after Harry had pulled away. Harry glanced around, impatient and almost nervous, not knowing how to start. Eventually he shook his head.

“No. Louis, when I was away, I realized how much you really mean to me and I couldn't stop thinking about you the whole time you weren't with me.” Louis' smile grew smaller, unsure of what Harry was up to. He didn't usually wake him up at four in the morning to tell him things he already knew.

“You're my rock, Lou, and I know that leaving you here maybe didn't make you feel as strong as one, but I know you are. You're so strong, Louis, and I'm so proud of you.” Louis looked as if he were hypnotized, staring up at Harry with wide trusting eyes.

“I just-” Harry lowered himself over Louis and pressed his lips to his ear, “I love you so much.” He grinned and wrapped his arms underneath Louis' small frame, and pulled him over on top of him, which surprised Louis, whose hair was now falling down into Harry's face from their close proximity.

Louis smiled at that, how giddy Harry was being. Harry flipped him over again, now on top, still chanting 'I love you I love you I love you I love you' into Louis' ear and pressing the occasional kiss to his lips or anywhere on his face, really. Louis' grin never faltered and he ran his hands up and down Harry's back, feeling the muscles flexing.

“Haz! I know you love me, but-” Harry cut him off with a long finger pressed to his lips.

“'M not done yet, Boo.” Louis immediately got silent, once again on his back with Harry's elbows on either side of his head, chest pressed to his own. Harry laughed, “I just got a little carried away, 's all.”

Louis stayed quiet, wanting Harry to finish so he could cuddle up next to him and go back to sleep, being as tired as he was. “I also realized something else. I don't want anyone else to have you-”

“Harry, you know tha-” Louis cut him off.

“Louis, please let me finish. I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours,” he paused, gauging Louis' reaction so far, “forever. Lou, I don't want to ever leave you again.” Harry knew exactly where this was going, and he sat up, climbed off Louis, and leaned over the edge of the bed to reach into the pocked of his uniform pants that were laying on the floor.

He grabbed out something that he'd been waiting for six years and all of tonight to do, and got back on the bed. Louis, interested in what Harry was doing, had sat up on his elbows and was watching Harry's every move, pupils blown from the very dim light.

Harry crossed his boxer-clad legs underneath his body and played with the small box, keeping it just out of Louis' view. He bit his lip and when he looked up at his boyfriend, he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

“Louis, Boo, you know I love you, and I know I'll love you forever.” Louis' heartbeat picked up and he sat up in the same position Harry was in and he swallowed hard, about to tell Harry he loved him just as much if not more, when Harry gabbed his left hand with is right, stroking patters into the back and rubbing it over with his thumbs.

He looked up at Louis, swallowing his fear, and pulled out the small black box with a velvety cover, not taking his hand off of Louis'. Louis parted his lips and felt his hands begin to shake, just burning with anticipation.

“I want to finally make you all mine,” Harry whispered, opening the box with one hand at first towards himself, then turning to show Louis, whose eyes widened in shock. “Lou, I was going to do this tomorrow, on a date that I had planned, but I couldn't wait. Or sleep.” He was looking down into his lap, taking a breath, then he looked back up at Louis. “Louis, will you marry me?”

Louis' lips were trembling, goosebumps trailing up his arms and throughout his chest from the lack of a blanket around them to keep warm. He stared at the ring peaking out from inside the box, which had a stark white inside that contrasted with the black outside.

The ring shone a beautiful yellow gold and he didn't think he could form words, so he just nodded his head eagerly, and feeling his eyebrows furrow and throat begin to burn, knowing the tears would soon follow. He bit his lip and somehow found his voice box. “Yes, yes, Harry. Yes and yes a million times!”

He couldn't hold back his excitement, having no idea that Harry was going to do this, and he flung himself onto Harry, gripping his upper body and squeezing tighter than he did when Harry had arrived home, pressing kissed all over his face.

Harry grunted and had to lean back from the impact of Louis' body, hugging back but desperately wanting to put the ring on Louis' finger.

He managed to pry Louis off of him who was still chanting a constant 'yes' in his ear but stopped when he realized that Harry had probably heard by now.

Louis' eyes were soaked with happy tears when Harry looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear. “Is that a yes?” he asked, being cheeky. Louis didn't complain, instead he just nodded his head some more, feeling like all the tiredness had drained out of his body.

He breathed heavily, resuming his cross-legged position across from Harry who did the same, but also pulled the ring out of the box and grabbed Louis' left hand.

Harry turned the ring so the top faced up, and slowly slid it down Louis' tiny fourth finger until it reached the very bottom, where he let go. Louis instantly brought it up, inches from his face to look at it in the light from the moon.

“Oh my God, Harry. It's amazing and I love it!” Louis gasped.

“Look on the back, babe,” Harry ordered, seeing that Louis hadn't yet noticed the little engravement that sat there.

Louis flipped his hand over so his palm was facing upwards and looked at the back of the ring, just like he was told. It was small, light, and he could barely see it, but it was definitely there.

'I Love You' was carved into the back of it, and Louis knew that that part of it was all Harry really wanted to give Louis.

Louis threw his arms around his now Fiance, grinning like the love-sick fool he was, and kissed him because he was his. Except for this time, it was all guaranteed.


End file.
